JD(S) to begin Pancharatna Rath Yatra from Karnataka’s Kolar on November 1
2-day JD(S) national executive meet begins from October 27
Bengaluru, Oct 26: A two-day national executive meet and national council meet of the Janata Dal (Secular) would take place in the party head office JP Bhavan here from Thursday, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday.
The office-bearers and executive committee members of the party from 13 States would participate in the meeting, the JD(S) second-in-command told reporters here.
"During the two-day meet, we will discuss political developments in the country and the State along with economic and communal issues. Some important decisions will be taken in these two days," Kumaraswamy said.
The JD(S) leader explained that the party would launch its pancha rathna' scheme from Kurudumale Ganapati temple in Kolar from where a ratha yatra' would start on November 1. On Thursday, a ritual would be performed on the chariot of the proposed meet.
The pancha rathna scheme is aimed at focusing on employment, education, irrigation, agriculture, health, women and youth empowerment, the JD(S) leader said.
According to him, his father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda started his election campaign in 1994 from Kurudumale due to which his party came to power in the Karnataka Assembly on its own.
"Now, we have also decided to organise our election campaign from Kurudumale Ganapati temple," Kumaraswamy said.
The leader said the first list of the candidates for the upcoming Assembly election would be released on November 1 at Kurudumale at a public event.
Kumaraswamy told reporters that the ratha yatra would pass through 5 Assembly constituencies of Kolar from November 1 to 5.
From November 6 to 10, it would go around Chikkaballapura district.
The yatra would be conducted in Bengaluru Rural district from November 11 to 13; in Tumakuru from November 14 to 23; in Hassan from November 24 to 30; in Kunigal on December 1; and in Ramanagara from December 2 to 5.
The first phase of the ratha yatra would go on for 35 days and it would pass through various villages and towns, Kumaraswamy said.
The next phase of the pancha rathna ratha yatra would start in January next year after offering tribute to Goddess Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and the entire region would be covered, he added.
The JD(S) leader clarified that his ratha yatra is different from Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat jodo yatra' and BJP's 'jana sankalpa yatra' in Karnataka.
Kumaraswamy said he may not be able to attend the next Assembly session as he would be busy with the ratha yatra.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
